There are two ways of doing this. Line your lensatic compasss base plate up with the maps north-south lines. What happens if you dont compensate for declination with your compass? However, imagine youre in Muir Woods in San Francisco, facing true north. Place your map on a horizontal surface and then place the compass on the map so that the orienting arrow points to true north on the map. A map, by definition, is a small-scale representation of the real world or a section thereof. west is 270). The lensatic compass is used by the U.S. Military. On your map, shoot the back bearing that you just took with your compass from the top of Saddle Mountain. Though GPS and smartphonesare reliable, its still vital to carry a compass, and know how to use it, as a backup or lifesaving form of navigation. If youre in the Adirondacks, add 14 degrees to get a correct bearing of 194 degrees. 4. 3. When you face true north, magnetic north is going to be left, or west, of you by about 14. 4. Enroll in my personalized step-by-step video-based online course. Lets say youre out hiking. The back bearing is 50. Housing lines should be parallel to the vertical grid lines on the map. Determining a Bearing, or "Shooting an Azimuth", Using Your Compass Sights to "Shoot an Azimuth". Kieran has taught mountaineering, ice climbing, and single-pitch and multi-pitch rock climbing in a variety of contexts over the years and has led trekking and mountaineering expeditions in the Alps, Rockies, and UK. When it comes to how to orientate a map, there are two main ways to do it. 1. 3. With solid land-navigation skills, you'll be more confident and "at home" in the wilderness. The orient a map to the ground by map-terrain association is one of the most basic skills that you will need in order to survive. "}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How do you do map orientation? Lay the compass on the map, using the straight edge to create a line from your starting point to your destination. As long as you can hold the compass level and steady, the exact grip doesn't matter. When you point your compass towards true north, the needle will point a bit to the west. Large Ball Compass - Easy to read ball compass shows two readings. The big bang. The variation between magnetic north and true north is currently so minor that this can generally be ignored. Great article! The edge of the compass baseplate is now pointing in the direction of the visible landmark from which you took your bearing. A compass needle aligns with the magnetic fields in the Earth, which is what it uses to help you find true north. Brett May 23, 2016 Last updated: June 2, 2021. If not, recalibrate before continuing. 2. Open the cover completely and pull back the rear sight. To obtain a heading from our map, we may use our compass as a protractor. The term "lensatic" comes from the fact that there is a lens on the rear side of the compass that aids in the orienteering process. Magnetic north is now off the coast of Greenland, but true north is at the very top of the world. relation to a map. Turn the compass and the map as a unit until you box the needlei.e., Put Red Fred in the shed. Hey, it happens! Title: USING THE MILITARY LENSATIC COMPASS 1 USING THE MILITARY LENSATIC COMPASS PART 2 Intermediate Land Navigation Module 14 Travel Distance Estimation 2 . PARTS OF THE LENSATIC COMPASS Compass, Lensatic, US Army, closeup: 2 (From another source) 1. How To Get Your Map and Compass To Face the Same Direction. Battle tested - shock, water, sand proof, and. Now that were putting compass to map, we need to adjust for it so that we can accurately orient and navigate. Position in the area. The housing lines should be parallel with the maps vertical grid lines. There are step-by-step to use a compass. 3. Or maybe using the sun to help put your map somewhat the right way around. There is nothing better than being at the heart of your navigation as a prepper, and truly knowing where youre headed without the need for technological input. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & More: A Manual On Food Storage and Survival: 2nd Edition Revised and Updated. 3. We just dont know where we are. ), Podcast #858: The Affectionate, Ambiguous, and Surprisingly Ambivalent Relationship Between Siblings, How to Fight Entitlement and Develop Gratitude in Your Kids, How and Why to Hold a Weekly Marriage Meeting, You Dont Have to Be Your Dad: How to Become Your Familys Transitional Character, Podcast #810: How to Turn a Boy Into a Man, Sunday Firesides: Climb the Ladder of Love, Podcast #865: How to Win Friends and Influence People in the 21st Century, Podcast #863: Key Insights From the Longest Study on Happiness, Podcast #875: Authority Is More Important Than Social Skills, Podcast #874: Throw a 2-Hour Cocktail Party That Can Change Your Life, 9 Mental Distortions That Are Sabotaging Your Social Life, How to Make the Perfect Snowball: An Illustrated Guide, Podcast #869: The Survival Myths That Can Get You Killed, Skill of the Week: Survive Falling Through Ice, Podcast #848: The 5 Priorities of Short-Term Survival, we covered how to properly use a compass, how to shootyour bearings, and the best map for navigating: the topo map, Land Navigation Manual: How to Use the Military Grid Reference System, Land Navigation Manual: Finding Your Bearings & Topo Maps, More Than Just Finding North: Understanding the Compass, Podcast #534: How Navigation Makes Us Human. Fill & Sign Online, Print, Email, Fax, or Download Using your protractor or other straight edge, you draw a line from your current position in the direction of where you want to go. Step 1 Orient the map. Basically, in areas west of the agonic line, the compass needle will point somewhere to the east of true north; in areas east of the agonic line, the compass needle will point somewhere west of true north. Using the rotating bezel, turn it until the direction of travel arrow lines up with the north arrow. Not a problem. a. Remember, maps are drafted with north at the top. functional from -50F to 150F. Hey, it happens! Set your compass dial to 000 degrees. Line your orienteering compasss base plate up with the maps north-south lines. So, if youre in Muir Woods and your compass has a bearing of 180, youll want to subtract 14. See the line labeled the agonic line? Related Tags. When we dont have our point position, we have to use less exact forms of orientation based on line or area position to find it: Line Position. For this task, the lensatic compass really shines. Any kinds of magnets whatsoever. Take a bearing to a visible landmark using your compass. You can also plot a known compass bearing on the mapthe reverse process. He has climbed a handful of 6000ers in the Himalayas, 4000ers in the Alps, 14ers in the US, and loves nothing more than a good long-distance wander in the wilderness. The red end of the needle must be pointing to the top of the map. Well use the rear bearing of it to draw a line on the map from Saddle Mountain to our approximate direction. Whether or not you participate in orienteering, I'm confident you'll find that a properly oriented map is a huge help in finding your way. Learn Land Navigation Now. Turn your declination-adjusted compass dial so due North is at the index pointer. Hold compass up to eye level and view larger side card for "direction-of-travel" compass. What's that? number of degrees in a circle (360: north is 0 or 360, east is 90, south is 180, and. Best Overall. 3. Close is good enough in horsehoes, but I'm hoping exact is the standard for artillery fire. 3. Get my Land Navigation coursehere. But heres where things get tricky: the angle of declination changes depending where you are on the earth. Lensatic compasses are used by the United States military for a reason. In this case, it would be 204 (24+180). As we can see, the area Im in has a declination of 4E. Youve orientated the map. Picture 1: Map Declination. From the compass, to GPS, to now even your mobile devicetheres no shortage of navigational tools. It. 2. Flip your compass upside down. Your compass is now set. Most people have never heard of them, but soon enough, youre going to be a master at using them. These other objects can interfere with compasses, and no matter how miniscule the differences may seem, it can leave an impact. 3. Before we can start actually navigating, which well get to in Part IIIof this series, we still need to learnwhere we are in relation to our maphow to orient ourselves. Were headed to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma for this example. So your true bearing would be 166. Flip up the small magnifying glass. So, if youre at Muir Woods and your compass reads 180 degrees, subtract 14 degrees. We covered how to use a compass correctly, how to shoot your bearings, and the greatest map for navigating: the topo map, in Part I. A lensatic compass is just one of the many navigational tools we have built. When this happens, its time to orientate using a compass. ","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"A: In order to orient and read a map, you have to have spatial awareness. 2. Fortunately, orienting your map is simple. Your cheek should be resting on the base of your thumb. "}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How do you orient a map to ground? Nothing is permanent and contours are more permanent than pretty much everything else on a map. . Keep doing this until you get to where you want to go. We just dont know where exactly. ), Set Your Compass for Your Intended Azimuth. Thats your bearing from point A to point B. Want a free ebook on Land Navigation? This is because it is prepped to point instead to magnetic north once its lined up with your compass needle. 3. Regardless, let's break it down into several steps: Open the compass cover at a 90-degree angle and then set the lens bracket at a 30-degree angle. Kierans bookClimbing the Wallsan exploration of the mental health benefits of climbing, mountaineering, and the great outdoorsis scheduled for release by Simon & Schuster in April 2021. To get among the sources, you can discover the fascinating point to acquire. Use a Compass : Basic Reading Do's and Dont's \u0026 Tips With Navigating COM-PASS Reading Placement Test - Characters COMPASS Reading Prep How to use a compass:For beginners THIS is how to use a Compass (Lensatic Compass for beginn-ers) Using A Lensatic Compass (For Dum-mies) Beginner guide to map and compass - Survival Saturday Ep. To use this method (a) Open the cover to a 90-degree angle to the base. Lensatic compasses are made up of three parts: cover, base, and reading lens. Some of the best land navigators around are orienteers--those who participate in the cross-country running/map reading sport of orienteering. Module 11 Plotting Position Coordinates exact positioning, used to communicate to others with a Map and compass skills are essential when navigating the great outdoors, Abrupt topography, like mountain peaks, should be easy to identify thanks to their contours on the map, Magnetic declination guidance on a standard topographical map, Having adjusted the compass housing to correspond with magnetic north, line your compass up with the map's gridlines, Red is in the shed: the compass needle is lined up with the orientating arrow, Ski towns are full: why we cant all just move to the mountains, Berghaus MTN Guide MW Hoody review: a performance mid-layer for the mountains, Rangers warn National Park graffiti could throw hikers off the trail. To make sure you receive a correct bearing, youll have to perform some arithmetic with all of your bearings. The map is now oriented to the terrain. Turn the compass and the map as a unit until you box the needlei.e., Put Red Fred in the shed. Place map on flat surface (not metal) 2. Make an "L" shape with the index finger and thumb of your other hand. On the map, you are where the line connects with the highway. The My Open Country name is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Now its time to store your compass. Now its time to use the lens. (Note: if you have a compass with an adjustable declination the adjustment needs to be set to zero).